MSU AgBioResearch scientists will lead weed control discussion on annual tour

Two Michigan State University (MSU) AgBioResearch scientists will discuss weed control issues during the 2013 MSU Weed Tour July 12. Please note date change.

June 26, 2013 - Author: Holly Whetstone

Important note: The 2013 Weed Tour has been rescheduled from June 26 to July 12 due to current and predicted inclement weather.

If you have prepaid, but are unable to attend on the 12th, please contact Sandie Litchfield at litchfi0@msu.edufor a refund. At this time, we anticipate showing additional dry beans, Roundup Ready alfalfa and future GMO crops. We look forward to seeing you on July 12.

Two Michigan State University (MSU) AgBioResearch scientists will discuss weed control issues during the 2013 MSU Weed Tour July 12 at the MSU Crops Lab at Beaumont and Mt. Hope roads.

The event, sponsored by the departments of Crop and Soil Sciences and Horticulture, will feature a morning session on weeds in corn and soybeans, and two concurrent afternoon sessions on weeds in horticultural crops and in non-GMO soybeans.

Christy Sprague, MSU AgBioResearch scientist and Extension weed specialist with the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, will take questions during the morning session.

“We’ll have several stations available so that visitors can see the research being done,” she said. “The plots will show the results from different kinds of weed control programs around the state, with some demonstration plots showing the consequences of using herbicides incorrectly.”

The trials show what types of herbicide combinations and management practices work best for a particular crop and herbicide use.

“We’re also excited for growers to come and see new herbicide-resistant strains of corn and soybeans that we have developed,” Sprague said.

Bernie Zandstra, MSU AgBioResearch scientist and professor of horticulture, will be available during the afternoon tours to answer questions.

“It’s a great opportunity for those people in the agricultural chemical business to come and see how their products and the products of others can be used through research – and what types of results they can provide,” he said.

Fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops are very important to the Michigan economy, he noted, and correct herbicide use can improve management and yield enormously.

“We’ll be looking at broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries – even crops such as rhubarb,” Zandstra said. “Herbicide applications are very crop- specific – what works for one crop might not work well at all for another.”

Registration starts at 9 a.m.; tours get under way at 9:30 am. Lunch will be served following the morning tours. The afternoon sessions begin at 1 p.m. with two concurrent tours: